Haruno, Listen!
by Ketsueki Gesshoku
Summary: We are always surrounded by a piece of nature. Trees, flowers, rocks, fire, water - nature is always there, no matter how small. They witness everything that occurs around them, and can live for centuries before finally taking their final breath. So what happens when Sakura Haruno can hear their voices? What happens when no secret, whether from the past or present, is safe from her
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Hearing Them**

* * *

_**A/N: I apologize for spelling and grammatical errors.**_

* * *

Sakura rubbed at her eyes, wiping away the last of her tears as she sniffled slightly. She was scared and confused, but mostly scared. Why did those kids say mean things to her? Why did they tease her? What did she ever do to them? She had just asked to play! They didn't have to be big meanies and pick on her! Frowning, the little girl looked into a small stream and caught her reflection. A girl with wide, red-rimmed emerald eyes looked back at her...

_"Ew! Look at your eyes! They're the color of puke!"_

She had short pink hair-

"Pink_ hair? Who has pink hair? Freak!"_

-with bangs that covered her forehead.

"_Look at that forehead! It's huge!"_

She was dressed in a black sweater and light tan colored capri pants with dark brown sandals.

"_Hey! Where you going Billboard brow?! Didn't you say you wanted to play?"_

However, because she ran into her forest, each sleeve of her sweater now had three rips on the biceps. Her pants were dirty from tripping, and a small cut was on her ankle. She frowned, her mother was going to get mad! She had told her to be careful and to not get dirty before she ran off to play with other kids! Now it was ruined...and her mom was going to yell at her...and her father is going to shake his head...and...and...and...

Sakura began to cry again. She raised her hands, furiously wiping them away, but more only took their places. Eventually, she just gave up and fell to her knees, crying loudly. She was sobbing so loud that she almost didn't hear someone speak to her.

"_Hey! Hey! Don't cry!_"

Curiosity easily replaced Sakura's need to cry at the sound of the voice. Slowly, while she rubbed at her eyes, she turned around. There was no one. Her brow furrowed, was she imagining things? Maybe she didn't actually hear a voice? She pouted. No, she was sure she heard someone! She just couldn't see them!

"H-Hello?" she called out, a bit hesistant.

"_See, see! I told you she would stop crying!_"

Sakura frowned, turning her head from side to side. She could hear the person, but why couldn't she see him?

"_She stopped? ...how interesting._"

Another new person! He sounded old. Older than her father. Like her grandpa!

"W-Who's there?!" she said aloud, getting onto her feet.

"_Is she speaking to us?_"

A third person! This one a woman... She sounded like her mother, but younger.

"_Impossible,_" the person that sounded like Sakura's grandfather said, "_She can't hear us._"

Sakura felt her cheeks turn red with embarrassment and anger. "I so _can_ hear you, Oji-san!"

"_Ha! I was right! She can hear us, she can hear us!"_ the first voice, the one that sounded like a little boy, declared happily. "_She's the one! She's the one we've been waiting for!_"

"_Nonsense!" _Oji-san shouted, "_No one has ever heard us speak!_"

"_Now, now, remember of the Haruno family? They once had the ability to do so_," the woman said softly.

A look of confusion appeared on Sakura's face. Did these people know of her family? Were they friends of Okaa-san? Otou-san?

"_Hmm... Little girl,_" Oji-san said, "_What is your name?"_

Sakura bit down on her lower lip, afraid to answer. She didn't even know who she was talking to, and her father told her to never talk to strangers!

"_Answer, girl!_"

Sakura's lower lip began to tremble and her eyes began to glow with fresh unshed tears.

"_Stop that! You're scaring the poor child!_" the woman chided. Sakura could hear Oji-san grumble something, but her attention was on the woman as she spoke with a smile in her voice. "_I'm sorry, child. He's just a little grumpy...but can you please tell us your name?"_

"M-My father t-told me to n-not talk to s-strangers..." Sakura squeaked out, gaze dropping down to the ground.

"_You're talking to us now, aren't you, brat? So what difference will it make if you tell us your name?_"

Sakura's eyes snapped upward, glowing with anger as she glared viciously at the tree in front of her. No, she did not know where the old man was. His voice, like the nice lady and boy, seemed to be everywhere, but she had to glare at _something_. It was just unfortunate for the tree to be right in front of her.

"Oji-san, you're a big _boo-boo head_!"

A stunned silence filled the air.

"What?"

Sakura watched in amazement when the leaves of the tall tree before her rustled. There was no wind blowing, and none of the other trees moved... She tilted her head to the side, weird. Then, she felt a small splash of water at the back of her ankles. Turning around, she eyed the stream that seemed to be sparkling now, despite there being no sun.

_"She called you a boo-boo head!_" the boy laughed.

"_Quiet, you little brat_!"

A soft breeze suddenly appeared, rustling Sakura's hair. It felt warm and soothing, making the pink haired child close her eyes and smile.

"_Don't worry, child, we're not here to hurt you,_" the woman began speaking.

"_Speak for yourself_," the old man muttered.

_"So, please, tell us your name._"

"O-OK," Sakura stuttered out, deciding that she liked the nice lady. "I-I'm Sakura H-Haruno."

"_Ha, old man! I was right! I was right! In your face!_"

Sakura opened her eyes when she felt her feet get wet. She tilted her head. Why was she getting wet? She wasn't even touching the water. Curiously, she crouched down and reached her hand out to skim her fingers on the stream's surface. She was surprised when the boy suddenly let out a laugh.

"_Hey! That tickles!_"

"Ah! Sorry!" Sakura shouted, pulling her hand away from the water.

She heard the old man huff. "_Hasn't anyone taught you manners, Haruno?_"

"I-I said I was s-sorry!" she defended, standing up. She whirled around to face the tree again. "A-And besides! It's rude t-that you're all not s-showing your faces!"

"_Who's doing what now?_" Sakura watched as the tree's leaves began to rustle again. "_Stupid brat! We've been in front of you all along! It's not my fault you're not smart enough to figure it out_!"

"W-What?" Sakura's eyes went wide, while her mouth fell open into an 'o'. "B-But you're a tree!"

"_And I'm a stream of water!_" the little boy declared cheerfully from behind her.

"_Sakura-chan_," the woman spoke, and once again, little Sakura felt a breeze wrap around her. She even giggled as it tickled her skin. "_You're a very special child with an amazing gift, and because of this gift, you can talk to us when others cannot._"

It took a few moments for Sakura to register the breeze's words, and once she did, a wide grin broke across her face. "That's so cool! So I can talk to trees and stuff!"

"_Yes..._" the wind whipped around her, stronger, making her spin a little to face a few flowers several feet away. "_Trees, water, wind, flowers...you can talk to the earth, Sakura-chan. You can hear nature's voices_."

Sakura nodded as she directed her grin at the flowers. "Hi yellow flower-san! White flower-san!"

No reply.

She pouted a little, "How come they're not talking to me!"

Water sprinkled against her skin as the boy laughed. "_Not yet, Sakura-chan! Not yet! You're not strong enough yet!_"

She turned her head toward the stream, cocking her head to the side. "Not...strong enough?"

"_What the little water brat means, girl_," she turned her head toward the old man-tree, "_You're still very young. You haven't unlocked your gift...not yet._"

Sakura pursed her lips. "What do you mean Oji-san?"

The leaves rustled again, but lightly this time. "_When you unlock your gift, you'll hear everything..._" The leaves stopped rustling. "_But be careful, Sakura-hime. You must learn to control it and your mind. If you cannot, then you will go mad_."

"Go mad?" Sakura questioned, "Why would I get mad?"

"_Such a young child..._"

"_Enough of this_," the wind began to blow, and Sakura swore she could feel fingers running through her hair. "_Why were you crying, Sakura-chan?_"

The change of topic made Sakura frown, her eyes dropping to her feet as she kicked at the ground. The tree's words completely forgotten.

"Well, at the park, there were these meanies-"

* * *

_Later on in the day, when the sun began to set, I returned to the park. Both my mother and father were there, shouting my name as they looked for me. The second they saw me, they ran over, my father scooping me up in his arms to hug me tightly. My mother was crying, her hands patting all over my body asking if I was OK. It took several minutes until they finally calmed down, and then began to scold me for disappearing into the forest. I didn't care though. I was too happy. I had finally made friends!_

_ "There's Mizu-kun, a small stream... Moku-oji-san, he's a really big tree! Oh, and Kaze-san, a breeze!"_

_ The stream, tree, and breeze didn't have names. They told me they had no need for such titles, because they are all parts of the earth, so why change their true names? So, I called them what they are - water, wood, and wind. My parents laughed, thinking that they were my new imaginary friends. It was a typical thing for a four year old._

_ As time passed, I continued to visit my first three friends. Nevermind that they were just a stream, a tree, and a breeze. Except, Kaze-san disappeared one day._

* * *

"Moku-oji-san, Mizu-kun, where's Kaze-san?" a five year old Sakura questioned, turning around. She expected air to suddenly whirl around her like it has for the past three months when she came. When it didn't happen though, she became worried.

"_Kaze-san isn't here anymore, Sakura-chan!_" Mizu-kun shouted. Sakura walked over to the small stream and crouched down. Instantly, water showered her feet in greeting, and she couldn't help, but smile a little. "_She had to leave!_"

Her smile disappeared, replaced by a frown.

"How come she had to leave?"

"_It's in her nature, Sakura-hime_."

Sakura looked over her shoulder, back at the tall tree directly behind her. After realizing that Sakura was truly a Haruno, and with the "special gift," as they put it, the tree took calling her 'princess.' Little Sakura asked why he called her that a few weeks back, and his only answer was that she was the "true Haruno heir," which didn't make any sense to her. How could she be air? She was obviously a little girl.

"What do you mean, Oji-san?" she questioned softly, eyes wide.

"_Kaze-san is wind, correct?_"

She blinked. "Yes."

"_And there's always wind blowing throughout the lands, right?_"

Another blink. "Yes?"

"_Sakura-chan! Kaze-san went traveling!_" Mizu-kun shouted impatiently. "_She always comes and goes!_"

"Really?" Sakura's brow furrowed. She didn't really understand what they were talking about, but she at least got the point: Kaze-san was gone. "Will she come back?"

"_One day,_" Moku-oji-san answered, "_But that may be for a long time, Sakura-hime._"

Sakura frowned at the possibility that she wouldn't see - well, hear - Kaze-san for a while, but her attention was quickly redirected by Mizu-kun.

"_Come on, Sakura-chan! Let's play!_"

* * *

_More time passed, and I soon began to hear more than just Moku-oji-san and Mizu-kun's voices. Different trees, winds, and sources of water. They were never the same, and they were always saying something. Early in the morning, late into the night - there was rarely a moment of peace, and I began to loose sleep. I had a headache on a daily basis, and it only got worse._

_ Near my sixth birthday, I didn't just hear trees, water, and winds... I began to hear the voices of fires from cooking stoves, or rocks around the road. They were everywhere and constantly whispering into my ears. My parents began to worry when I was losing sleep, and, in their eyes, was always speaking to my imaginary friends. They took me to the hospital, but none of the doctors could help me. They couldn't find anything wrong with me, and whenever I would tell them that "it's the trees" or "close the windows! The wind keeps talking!", they thought I was insane. I ended up as a mental case and was admitted to the hospital for an indefinite amount of time._

_ The only one that could help me was Moku-oji-san._

_ I didn't know this at the time, but Moku-oji-san was really old. More than a few centuries. He commented once that he spoke to one of the last people from my family who had the gift. I didn't think much of it back then, but when I was seven, and I had managed to escape the hospital, I ran to Moku-oji-san. I was vaguely aware that the little stream I knew as "Mizu-kun" wasn't there anymore (I would later find out from Moku-oji-san that he had dried up during the summer, while I was in the hospital). I was too busy crying and begging Moku-oji san to help me._

* * *

"The voices won't stop, Moku!" It was the first time I didn't use a title with his name, but I didn't care. The shouts and whispers wouldn't stop! "Please help me! I don't know what to do! I don't know what to do!"

"_Sakura-hime..._" his voice sounded sad and tired, "_I will help you. First, close your eyes._"

She closed her eyes.

"_Picture walls. A lot of them._"

"W-Walls?" she stuttered out, swallowing dryly, but did as she was told. In her mind, where it was dark and filled with jumbles of words, dark grey walls shot up. They were tall, disappearing up into the darkness of her mind. The voices became quiet, soft.

"_Now, create something...something or someone that will hold up these walls._"

"Something or someone...?" Sakura questioned, who had finally stopped crying.

"_You are still very young, Sakura-hime. You will not be able to protect yourself alone. This is how your ancestors protected themselves from going mad._"

Sakura nodded, and because she was in a hurry and didn't really know what to think of, she imagined herself. Another Sakura who was black and white with the kanji for "Inner Sakura" marked on her forehead.

"_Cha!_" Inner Sakura shouted with a wide grin, "_Don't worry! I'll protect us_!"

Sakura sighed when it became quiet. She could still hear the voices, but they were muffled whispers now, and if she concentrated hard enough, everything would become silent.

"Moku-oji-san! It worked! It worked!" Sakura shouted, running up to the tall tree.

She didn't get a respond.

"Moku-oji-san?" Sakura frowned, brow furrowing. Then, her eyes went wide. She blocked - what did Kaze-san called it? - Nature's voices! Does that include Moku-oji-san's voice! Panicking, she placed a small hand on the tree's bark. She concentrated on its rough wood, ears straining. "Moku-oji-san?"

"..._I'm here, Sakura-hime_"

She sighed, relieved. "I was worried I blocked Moku-oji-san's voice too!"

"_You did, hime, but that's OK, you can hear me now..._" he said quietly, "_With your shield up, you must concentrate to hear the voices of Nature. However, there may be times when some will break through the shield...and that is because they are shouting... Listen to them hime, because they will be warning you_."

Sakura frowned at how tired the tree sounded in her mind, "Moku-oji-san, are you alright?"

"_I am, hime... Winter is coming, however...and I will be asleep for a while..._"

"Oh...Ok..." she said softly and turned her head. Her brow furrowed. "Where did Mizu-kun go?"

* * *

_Not too long after creating my "shield," I was released from the hospital. I stopped talking to my "imaginary friends," and was able to rest without waking up to whispering. My parents were relieved, but that did not last long. I soon decided that I wanted to become a kunoichi and entered the Shinobi Academy. After Moku-oji-san had taught how to control my voices, I asked him about the people he knew that had my gift._

_ He told me tales of all the ones that he knew, and they all beared my family name. He told me how they were strong and used the gift to listen to Nature's voices to their advantages. Some were good, and used the gift to protect themselves and others. Some were bad, using the gift to learn secrets that they could use against others. A few were civilians, but most were shinobi and kunoichi._

_ "_Listen to me, Sakura-hime_," Moku-oji-san had said, "_This gift granted on your family is also known as a kekkai genkai_."_

_ "Like the sharingan?" I had asked, thinking about the Uchiha boy in class._

_ "_Yes, but it cannot be used as a weapon like the Sharingan_." _There was a smile in his voice, "Like the Kekkai genkai of the Yamanaka Clan_-"_

_ Sakura thought of her best friend. The girl with long blonde hair and ocean blue eyes. Ino Yamanaka._

_ "-_your kekkai genkai can gather information, but it is much stronger. Any information gathered is unlimited and never false. We, the voices of Nature, will tell you anything of anyone, whether from the past or now. We are a source of unlimited information for you to use. You just have to listen_."_

_ Once I understood what Moku meant, I began to learn from Nature. They told me of jutsu that they had witnessed being used; effective methods to train; the correct way to hold and throw a kunai or shurriken; different ways of taijutsu - they told and taught me anything I desired. Soon, I became one of the top students in my class. RIght next to Sasuke Uchiha._

_ They also told me of things that I did not ask for, which eventually put me in an odd situation..._

* * *

"Sakura-chan," Sakura's mother crouched down to her height and placed a hand on her head. "How did you know the Sasaki-san's are splitting up? I didn't tell you anything."

An eight year old Sakura smiled widely, "Iwa-san in front of Sasaki-san's porch told me!" The rounded rock in the front of her neighor's house came to mind. That thing always had stories to tell little Sakura, and a lot of them were funny to hear.

Her mother frowned. "And when you found out that Yuki-chan down the road was going to runaway?"

"Mizu-san in Yuki's backyard said so," she answered, referring to the large fountain in the older boy's backyard.

"When the Watanabe's house was on fire in the middle of the night?"

"Kaze-kun told me." A strong wind blew on that night.

"Who broke into the Takashi's house last week?"

"Ao-hana-sans told me." The blue flower bed in the Takashi's front yard.

"That Suki-chan was pregnant?"

"Akai-hana-san in Suki-onee-san's room." The red flower on Suki's bedroom windowsill.

"Enough with those lies!"

Both Sakura and her mother turned around to see Sakura's father standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He was glaring at his daughter, his eyes never leaving her small form as he walked into the living and sat on the couch.

"The rock told you? The water? Wind? The flowers?" his eyes narrowed, "What kind of gibberish are you speaking?"

"Honey!" Sakura's mother shouted, standing up to glare at her husband. "Don't talk to Sakura like that!"

"Do you know what the village is saying about her?!" he shouted, pointing a finger at the little girl, "That she's a demon child! There's a rumor that she's being influenced by the Kyuubi!"

"W-W-_What_?" her mother looked horrified, "That's nonsense!"

Sakura frowned. Who's the Kyuubi?

"Well, what are they supposed to think when our child knows things she shouldn't?" her father hissed, eyes burning with fury. "Business is going down because of these rumors!"

Sakura's mother looked at him in disgust. "Is this why you're so mad? Because of your business?"

"No, I'm mad, because _something is wrong with our daughter_!" Sakura's father roared, getting up onto his feet. That's when Sakura noticed the beer bottle held tightly in his left hand, and so did her mother.

"Love, you're not thinking straight..." she whispered, a bit afraid. "You're drunk-"

"Shut up! You're thinking it too!" he accused, his eyes darting between his wife and daughter. Then, abruptly, the burning anger in his gaze extinguished as his shoulders slumped. He fell back onto the sofa, head dropping back, and when he spoke, his voice was all, but a whisper that filled the tense air. "What are we to do? ...our daughter is a demon."

"Our daughter is not a demon!" her mother screamed, "She's not! She's not...she's not..." Sakura watched as she dropped to her knees and began to cry into her hands.

"O-Okaa-san?" Sakura muttered under her breath as she approached the older woman, reaching out. The moment her fingers touched bright red hair, however, an arm lashed out, and the little girl found herself on the floor. Her mother was still crying, but this time, instead of words of denial, it was broken words of acceptance and desperate hope.

"Oh Kami...did I...did I give birth to a monster? ...Please don't be so...let my daughter be normal...let her be normal..."

Sakura felt her heart drop into her stomach, and without a word, got up and ran out of her house.

* * *

_On that night, I didn't return home. Instead, I stayed within the forest at a park, surrounded by nature. It was comforting, knowing that I was not truly alone, but I wasn't listening to any of their voices. I didn't want to speak or hear anything. I just wanted silence, and that's what I got...until the sun disappeared, and a full moon had risen._

* * *

"_Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!_"

Sakura groaned in her sleep, rolling onto her side where she laid on the forest ground, right under a tree (Moku-oji-san).

"_Hurry! Wake up!_"

"_Stop him! Stop him!_"

"_It was wrong! They shouldn't had made him-!_"

"_WAKE UP!_"

Emerald eyes snapped wide open when a surge of wind slammed into Sakura. It made her head scratch into the bark of her tree-shelter, and caused her to gasp for air. Fortunately, the wind didn't last long, and disappeared within a second.

"W-What?" Sakura mumbled, slowly getting up onto her feet. She rubbed her eyes. Dirt had gotten into them. "What was that for, Kaze-san..?" she questioned, sleepily.

"_Hurry! Hurry! He's-_"

"_Near here! Toward the front gate!_"

_"He knocked out the guards!_"

"_Stop him!_"

"_Speak to him!_"

"_He's not alone!_"

"_Horrible people!_"

"_They made him!_"

"_SAVE HIM!_"

"_GO!_"

The trees around Sakura began to rustle loudly, and the wind began to blow, pushing her into a certain direction.

"_Sakura-hime..._"

"Moku-oji-san?" Sakura questioned as she took a few stumbling steps forward, "What's going on?" She tried to focus on his voice and block out the others, but found it was difficult. More difficult than it should be.

"_Remember, what I said, Sakura-hime? We only break through your shield when there is danger..."_

Those words snapped her awake. Fully alert now, Sakura's head darted from left to right, trying to resist the wind that was pushing her. "T-Then what do I do, Moku-oji-san?!" she shouted, confused and scared. She was only eight years old.

"_Listen_."

Sakura took a deep breath, and for the first time since her shield was made, dropped it. In her mind, she could see Inner Sakura grinning widely with her arms spread out as whispers and shouts began to fill her head.

"_Straight!_"

"_At the gates!_"

"_No guards-_"

"_-unconscious-_"

"_-we'll lead you-_"

"-_trees_-"

"_-trust us!_"

"_**HURRY!**_"

She jumped into the trees, and then shot forward. Sakura had never done this before - traveling through the trees, jumping from one branch to the next. The teachers at the Acadamy said they would learn it when they were older, when their legs were a bit longer. It wasn't impossible to learn it now, but it was more difficult; more dangerous. If you didn't correctly calculate the length from one branch to the next, if you jumped too far, didn't jump far enough, didn't jump _off_ correctly, or even landed correctly - any of it could result in serious injuries, or worse, death. Sakura had taken the warning to heart, and decided to wait until they would learn. When there was a teacher underneath her, ready to catch her in case she fell.

At the moment, however, Sakura didn't need to worry about falling.

The trees and wind helped her. There was more to her gift than what Moku had told her.

Whenever she didn't jump the right length; whenever she landed wrong; whenever she jumped off wrong - the trees' branches would bend to ensure she always had a branch to land on, that she landed perfectly, and leaped off just as good. The wind would blow harder, from behind or in front, so that her jumps would lengthen or shorten accordingly. She didn't have to watch her footing, she didn't have to worry, and soon, in a matter of minutes, she was outside of the village. Soon, she saw someone in sight, ahead of her. Soon, she caught up, and when he finally stopped, so did she.

Out of breath, panting heavily, she leaned against a tree for support. She was exhausted. Black dots began to appear in her vision, and her head was spinning. The voices were becoming blurred, softening, disappearing, but there was one she could hear clearly. A voice of a wind that was heavy with the scent of copper. Sakura scrunched her nose slightly at the smell.

"_Tell him, you know, hime._" The wind's voice was deep, a man, but still young. A teenage boy, perhaps? "_Tell him that he is not to blame. That you will help him. That you will watch over his younger brother. Tell him...to not give up hope_."

Forcing herself to move, Sakura stood up straight. Her breathing slowed, but still came out as soft pants, and she stared at the boy in front of her once he turned around. He was older than her, a teenager. He had long, jet black hair that was pulled into a ponytail at the base of his head with bangs framing his face. His eyes - Sakura flinched - were blood red with three black tomoes. Beneath them were long tear ducts, and it only pronounced his tired state. His clothes... Sakura swallowed dryly, his clothes were soaked with blood, some of it staining the skin on his arms and a bit of his face. Was this the coppery scent she smelt in the wind?

"Who are you?" the boy asked, his voice strained. He eyed her cautiously and took in her slightly battered appearance. Her short pink hair was a mess. Clothes were wrinkled, covered in dirt and tears. She also had a light cut on her left cheek, but it seemed to go unnoticed by her as she gave him a small tired smile. He was taken back by this.

"Sakura...Sakura Haruno," she said softly. The boy would have not heard her had a soft breeze not carried her words to his ears. "And you...?"

He did not give an answer...

...but the wind did.

"_Itachi Uchiha_."

"_Hurry! They're coming!_"

"_Not enough time!_"

"Itachi...Uchiha..." she tested the name on her tongue, and when the boy's eyes narrowed, she knew it truly was his name. She raised her hands, a sign that said she meant no harm. "I just want...to talk...Uchiha-san."

It took a moment, but he gave a curt nod. "Speak then."

Sakura nodded back, and began to say what the wind told her. "I know...what happened, Uchiha-san."

Itachi stiffened, but other than that, did not do anything else. Staying silent.

"...and..." Sakura paused, trying to sort out her thoughts and words, "...and, it's not your fault."

"What would you know?" Itachi snarled, unable to bite back his retort. Who was this little girl? And how did she know? How _could _she know anything?

Sakura shook her head, and because she did not know how to answer the question, she continued on with her message. "I will help you...I will watch over your younger brother, but on one condition."

Itachi's hands were itching to knock the girl out (not harm, he had no reason to). He was in a rush. Soon, platoons of ANBU would be on his tail, and he needed to put as much space as he could before they moved, but then, the girl had mentioned his brother. His younger brother who was precious, who he dearly loved. The one person he would do anything to protect. Even if it meant going rogue...and she was offering to protect him? But how could a little girl do such a thing? By the looks of it, she was Sasuke's age. So how...?

He doubted the pink haired girl. He even showed it as he stared at her with disbelief, but she only smiled at him. She seemed...confident. Itachi mulled over his words, debating on whether or not she could trust him. She did manage to catch up to him, which was a difficult task for even shinobi his age to do. She also said she _knew_, which made him question _how_. Or maybe she was lying? Maybe all of this was pure luck, and she was trying to lull him to safety?

Itachi came to a decision when he sensed several chakra signature coming from the direction of Konoha. He narrowed his eyes at the girl, but nodded.

"Very well...and what is...this condition?"

"Do not give up hope."

* * *

_ Once he agreed, Itachi left. I did the same, and disappeared into the forest, heading back to Konoha. The trees and wind had told me it was best to not be caught by the ANBU, and so, led me back to my village, revealing a secret entrance on the east side that no one in the present time knew about. They also led me home, where my parents were waiting._

_ I didn't get there until sunrise, and when I did, they pulled me into their arms, squeezing me and planting kisses on my tired face. They apologized for what they said, assured me that they did not think I was a demon and loved me. That all those people could just "mind their own business" because I was their precious daughter. It made me happy. I was truly relieved, but I decided to not make them worry. I decided that whatever I found out, whatever I was told by the voices of Nature, I would keep the information to myself...unless it was needed. Inner Sakura agreed with me._

_ Later on, three days after my decision, I went to Moku-oji-san, and told him what had happened. I asked him about Itachi Uchiha, and why I had to go after him. At the time, when he told me the story, I didn't really get it, and only understood one thing: Itachi Uchiha wasn't entirely bad._

_ I then asked Moku how the trees and wind had helped me, but that afterwards, I was really tired._

_ "_When you want nature to bend to your will, you must use your energy, hime," he explained, "At the same time, if you allow it, then Nature will use your own energy to move on its own. Like the trees and winds did to assist you in your chase after Itachi Uchiha. That is why you were exhausted. The energy you have determines the limit of the second power of your kekkai genkai_."_

_ When he spoke his next words, it sounded like he was grinning._

_ "_You are becoming very strong, very fast, Sakura-hime. Just rememer...

...Listen_."_

* * *

_**A/N: Sakura's range of age in this chapter: 4-8 years old.**  
_

**_Thanks for reading! Please review!_**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry spelling and grammatical errors. I'm trying!**

**Also, slow beginning...but it is needed.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: More Voices**

* * *

"_No, no, hime. It's the _ox_ sign._"

"_What are you talking about?! It's the _monkey_ sign!_"

"_No! _Boar!_"_

"_You're _both_ wrong! It's _snake_!"_

Sakura blinked, staring at the four trees before her.

"_Boar!_"

"_Ox!"_

_ "Monkey!"_

_ "Snake!"_

She sighed, raising a hand to ruffle the back of her head as she turned away. The arguing trees didn't even notice her leaving, crossing the shadowed training ground. It was early, the sun having only risen half an hour ago. Yawning a little, Sakura made her way to a small boulder near the middle of the field. She crouched down to its level and placed a hand on top of it.

"Morning, Iwa-san."

"_Morning, hime,_" it said softly, voice female. Young, but older than Sakura's twelve year old self. "_How can I help you_?"

"There's a jutsu chibi-moku-san was trying to teach me," Sakura answered, motioning her hand over her shoulder; toward a line of trees right behind standing several feet away. She was referring to the shortest one of the bunch. "But the other Moku-sans are saying he doesn't remember it correctly, and yet, they all are telling me different things.

_"I see..." _Iwa said, "_What justu are they teaching you?"_

"It's an earth based jutsu. Something to do with being able to move underground fluidly like a fish in a water," Sakura explained.

"_Ahh...Earth Style: Underground Move Jutsu. I've seen that justu done several times,_" Iwa commented, voice tinted with amusement. "_I believe it is a C-rank jutsu, correct?Are you not too young for it, hime? You have yet to become a genin_."

Sakura pouted a little, crossing her arms over her chest. "Don't you believe that I will pass the exams today, Iwa-san?"

Laughter filled the young girl's head. "_Of course, hime. You've grown very strong. I have no doubt that you will be one of the best of your time._"

Sakura's lips stretched into a wide grin as her head bobbed up and down. "Thanks, Iwa-san! ...Now then, about the jutsu..."

"_Yes, the Underground Move..._" Iwa chuckled, "_Well, most of what chibi-moku-san taught you is correct._"

"So the last sign _is_ ox?"

"_I said _most_, hime. He is actually wrong about the last sign_," Iwa pointed out.

"Then what is it? Monkey? Boar? Snake?"

"_None. It's actually rat._"

Sakura paused for a moment, mulling over her words. Then, in an instant, she stood and turned around, her hands cupping around her mouth. "Moku-sans! You were _all_ wrong! Iwa-san says its rat!"

Their reaction was automatic.

"_What-!"_

_ "No, it is not-"_

_ "You're going to believe an-"_

_ "-old bat-"_

_ "-bad memory-"_

Rolling her eyes, the twelve year old pinkette ran her hands through the justu quickly. Despite what Iwa-san said, Sakura had a decent amount of jutsu under her belt; a majority of them were earth and wind; a few fire and water; and a single wood jutsu. They were mostly D and C-ranked, and one or two were B-rank. For the past five years, since she took to being trained _by_ nature, she became strong...for a genin. An arsenal of jutsu, above average for genjutsu, not too bad in taijutsu, quite skilled with weaponry - these ranges of skills were determined by the set of average skills for a genin and chunin. She wasn't going to fool herself. At most, she was somewhere between being an average chunin to a skilled chunin.

Nowhere near a jounin. Not yet anyways, because some of the few things Sakura took real pride in was her perfect memory and being able to learn quickly.

Her brow was furrowed in concentration as she felt her chakra spike a little.

Nothing happened.

Sighing, Sakura went through the signs again, but this time, with a little more chakra. An almost silent poof suddenly filled her ears, and the next thing she knew, she was in complete darkness. Raising a brow, Sakura twisted her body around, moving here and there, finding that she almost felt light as a feather when she was actually underground. _Hmm...not too hard_, she thought with a smile before shooting up and, without disrupting the earth's surface, popped up behind the Moku-sans.

"Yup! Iwa-san is right!"

The trees' voices grumbled in her head, a few insults of Iwa-san being thrown in. From a distance, Iwa-san only laughed, teasing the trees about the ones who actually has "bad memory." Sakura giggled a little before returning to her training. She went through her new Earth Jutsu again, missing the first try, but getting it the second time. She then went through it again and again and again, until she was comfortable enough that she was able to execute it on the first try repeatedly. Once that was covered, she went through a few more earth jutsu, a fire jutsu, a water jutsu, and then ended training with taijutsu, fighting imaginary enemies. By the time Sakura was finished, she was panting and covered in sweat. She also noticed that if she didn't leave now, she was going to be late for her (hopefully) last day at the Academy.

"Well, I got to go! Thanks for the help Iwa-san, Moku-sans!" she yelled as she left the training ground. She was never aware of the single onyx eye that had been watching her entire training session.

"_Do you think we should have warned hime about that man?_" Chibi-moku-san questioned softly.

"_There was no reason to,_" another answered, "_He means no harm_."

"_If he becomes a threat to hime_," Iwa-san spoke aloud in her soft voice, "_Then we will warn her...but for now, he is practically harmless._"

"_How do you know that?_" a third tree questioned.

"_He goes often to visit my brethren_," Iwa-san explained, "_The one that holds the names of the shinobi that have fallen in battle._"

"_Ahh...so he is the 'Broken Soul' that visits the memorial stone so often. So many of our brothers and sisters speak of him; many of them even cry for him_," the last of the four trees that were training Sakura commented.

The group sensed as a silver haired man disappeared from the area.

"..._Kakashi Hatake._"

* * *

"Woohoo! I _passed_!" Sakura shouted at the top of her lungs, running out of the Academy's entrance. Several other children cheered and ran like her, while a few others walked at a more casual place with a smile. Sakura came to an abrupt halt, however, as she watched a majority of the others kids being congratulated by their parent(s). Turning her head from left, then to right, she saw that her parents were not present. She frowned a little at this, her excitement now dwindling a little.

Her parents hated that she went into the field of a shinobi. Since the very beginning, when she told them of her intentions to become a kunoichi, her father did well in trying to change her mind. During the days she didn't have school, he would bring her to the shop. At night, when the Academy was done and he was finished with work, he would tell her stories of his travels of a merchant. He would go into detail of the large trading network he had that extended into several of the elemental countries, and if she were to follow his footsteps, then she would forever live in luxury. Her mother didn't try as much as her father, but she was just as hard pressed to get her daughter away from the dangerous life of a shinobi. Every time Sakura got hurt, her mother would not only scold her, but slip in how she will get hurt a lot more if Sakura was to continue down this path.

There were also a few nights where her mother would cry, begging her child not to do it, and it was those moments that were the hardest for Sakura.

_"Sakura-hime! Sakura-hime!"_

A strong rush of winds suddenly blew past Sakura, eliciting several cries of surprise by people around her. The trees planted at the entrance of the Academy began to rustle their leaves furiously. Vaguely, Sakura heard the comments of how odd the weather was today, but she paid little attention to those. Instead, she focused on the several voices that were congratulating her.

_"You're a genin now!"_

_ "Congratulations!"_

_ "I knew you-"_

_ "-awesome-"_

_ "-kick butt!"_

_ "-strong-"_

_ "Show the world-"_

_ "Keep training-"_

_ "-proud of you."_

Sakura giggled softly, closing her eyes as she listened. She could feel a few pairs of eyes on her, but she didn't care. The voices of nature were always there for her. They always cheered for her, helping her, comforted her...and reminded her when she wavered even the slightest in her goal. Those hard nights when her mother would cry? Soft breezes would blow into her room, whispering words of encouragement. When the peaceful life of a merchant sounded alluring, Moku-oji-san would tell her stories of her ancestors that were shinobi and kunoichi. Yes, living the life of a kunoichi was dangerous. Yes, it was scary with your life always hanging on a thread. Yes, it was painful with the high possibility of future friends being lost, but it was _fulfilling_. Sakura was granted with this gift for a reason, and she believed that reason was to use it to help protect those who need it - who deserve it.

_Speaking of Moku-oji-san, I should go and see him_, Sakura thought, reopening her emerald eyes. Still smiling, she turned to her right, destination now in mind. The wind was still blowing, though more gentle, causing her long pink hair to slightly billow in the air. She had decided to let it grow over the past few years by the encouragement of the winds. They mentioned how they liked running through people's hair, and would love to do so with their hime. Not that Sakura minded. It always felt like someone's fingers were running through her pink mane, and it felt incredibly soothing. Her wardrobe had also changed since she was little. By her mother's request, she wore a long red dress that had slits on the sides from the bottom to her thighs, and blue sandals. A white circle was printed on the back of her dress, the symbol of her family, and underneath she wore a pair of spandex shorts.

"Hey! Forehead girl!"

In mid-step, Sakura looked back over her shoulder to see a familiar blonde with ocean blue eyes that were glaring at her. Ino Yamanaka, her now ex-best friend. She was dressed in a sleeveless navy blue top with a turtleneck collar, a matching skirt with shorts underneath, and blue sandals. Like Sakura. she had also grown out her light blonde hair, pulling it up into a high ponytail. Unlike Sakura, she grew her hair for a more...materialistic reason. For a boy, specifically. A boy that was heading in Sakura's direction.

_Ahh, so that's why she's glaring at me_.

The boy was their age with jet black hair and matching eyes. His hair had bangs framing his face, and spiked in the back. He was dressed in a dark blue shirt with a high collar and white short pants. On the back of his shirt was a circular fan, the top half being red and the bottom half being white - the symbol of the Uchiha Clan - and gripped in his right hand was his hitai-ate.

"Hi Sasuke," Sakura greeted once he reached her right side.

He glanced at her, gave a small nod, stuffed his left hand into the pocket of his shorts, and said, "Hn." Then he continued on walking, but at a much more slower pace as he passed the pinkette. Sakura sighed at this, knowing that this was his way of asking if she wanted to hang out. If she followed, then it was a yes. If she didn't, then it was a no.

"Forehead, don't think this means you won! Sasuke-kun _will _be mine!"

"_Girl, have you no shame?" _Inner Sakura shouted within Sakura's mind, while Sakura herself slightly tilted her head as she raised her hand in greeting. She completely ignored Inner Sakura, used to her random comments throughout the day. Though, she had to admit that her mental self was speaking a lot more now. Inwardly sighing at the possible trouble _that_ meant, Sakura hurried to catch up with Sasuke, who was a several feet away now. Four years ago, about a week or two after the Itachi thing, there was this Kaze-san that reminded her of her promise to him; the promise to watch over his younger brother. It was the same Kaze-san that told her what to say to Itachi, and he kept bugging her until she went through with her word...

...which she would have done even without his annoying reminders!

* * *

"You have to go now, Sakura-hime."

"He'll fall into hatred."

"Please go be there for him."

"It'll be hard, but please do this for Itachi."

"It will ease Itachi's pain to know that Sasuke is in good hands, and it will help to ease Sasuke's grief to have an actual friend."

...

_Sakura sighed. This Kaze-san was getting really annoying. Every morning, when she woke up, he told her to go to the Uchiha compound; every night, he would whisper for her to go to the Uchiha Compund the next day; throughout the day, he practically pushed her in the direction of Uchiha Compound. Like right now. Wind was blowing at her back, urging her to hurry...even when she was _already_ heading over to where Sasuke Uchiha lived!_

Honestly, I wish Kaze-san was a person. So then I could hit him!

_ Throughout the little trip, little Sakura came up with all kinds of things she could do to Kaze-san. Though, being only eight years old meant Sakura didn't come up with anything really drastic. Probably, the worst punishment she was thinking of was kicking Kaze-san in the shin and ignoring him for a long time. That seemed to always work on her father whenever he made her mad. He would even come home with a little gift for Sakura in hopes to make it up to her...which always worked. Who was Sakura to deny a cute little stuffed teddy bear? Or a pretty necklace? Or a pretty dress? Or the crimson red hair pin he got her-_

"Hime, this way."

_Having been in her wonderland of all the pretty-pretty things she got and could get, Sakura didn't realize she had entered the Uchiha Compound. Not until a sudden push of wind had her jerking to the right, causing her to stumble and almost losing her footing completely. Grumbling under her breathe about how mean Kaze-san is (in which he chuckled a little, earning a glare from the girl), Sakura found herself going around a huge house and coming face to face with a tall wooden face. She frowned a little. The fence was a few inches taller than her, which meant she couldn't see anything on the other side._

_ "Kaze-san?" she whispered._

_ "_Of course, hime,_" he answered, knowing her intentions._

_ Smiling a little, she reached up, grabbing the top of the fence, and jumped. A gust of wind flew up from beneath her feet, helping her to jump over the wooden barrier. At the same time, she could feel a small tug at her chakra. Upon landing, Sakura felt like she had broke into a hard sprint and was breathing a little hard. A few deep breaths took care of that, however, and soon, she was just taking in the new area._

_ She was now in the backyard of the house she had gone around, and it was huge!_

_ Emerald eyes widened at the large yard that eventually disappeared into the lines of trees of the forest at the end. Several different flowers were planted all over the place and in the center of it all was a large koi pond. Closer to the big house was a large garden of vegetables, and tending to it was a small black haired boy. Or, well, actually, he was just sitting beside it with a half eaten tomato in hand. He was also staring right at Sakura, eyes filled with suspicion and anger._

_ "Uhh...hi?" Sakura said, hesitant._

_ The two children stared at each other for several seconds. Neither doing or saying anything, and then..._

_ "GET OUT!" Sasuke screamed and threw his half eaten tomato at Sakura._

* * *

That day was the day Sakura lost her favorite white pants to a stupid tomato staining it. It was also the day Sakura's mind began to delve into more...painful ways as to how she could hurt Kaze-san, and over the years, Sakura can happily state that she wasn't too bad in the arts of torture. For a twelve year old anyways. Too bad she would never be able to use any of them on Kaze-san... Sakura pouted at the reminder, but then smiled when she remembered another important thing that happened on that day.

Sasuke and she became friends.

Really close friends.

...after Sakura stopped crying and exclaiming how big of a "meanie" the Uchiha boy was...

Come on. She _really_ liked her white pants! And because the Uchiha had stained it, her mother believed it would be best if she didn't wear white anymore. So she couldn't replace said white pants with another pair! It was totally unfair!

Unfortunately, because Sakura became close friends with _the_ Sasuke Uchiha, who didn't put up with _anyone_ in class, especially since the massacre, she became the heart of all young girl's jealousy. Especially when they became older and everyone was starting their awkward stage into teenager-hood, where hormones were all over the place. This eventually led to the ending of the friendship between Sakura and Ino. The way Ino saw it, she had claimed Sasuke _first_, and as her best friend, Sakura, who was close to Sasuke, should help her get with the boy. When the pinkette didn't, Ino concluded that her so-called best friend was hogging the boy and said she couldn't be friends with a "back stabber."

"Are you going to do anything with your parents?" Sasuke questioned softly, voice a bit stiff. Broken out of her memories, Sakura gave Sasuke a grin. He rolled his eyes. Her grin only widened.

"No," she answered, "So that means we're celebrating together!"

Sasuke raised a brow. "I did not agree to this."

"Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke," Sakura shook her head in a disappointment like matter, and placed a hand on his shoulder. She felt him tense, but then quickly relaxed when he realized she wasn't going to do anythig...painful. Kaze-san may have managed to escape her punishments, but others weren't so lucky. "You should already know that you don't have a choice in the matter."

"You're not the boss of me," he grunted defiantly.

""Nope, but I'm your best friend!" Sakura cheered, sliding her hand on his shoulder to the other, pulling him into a single arm hug. "So you'll agree to it anyways."

Sasuke grunted.

Translation: Yeah, I know.

* * *

Sakura inwardly groaned, raising her fingers to rub her temples. Too many voices were banging against her shield, a lot of them leaking through. In her mind, Inner Sakura was shouting at them to stay back. Loudly. Not that it helped. Her Inner's voice easily became lost in those of Nature's.

_"Get away-"_

_ "-not safe-"_

_ "-burns!"_

_ "-painful-"_

_ "-evil-"_

_ "-help him!"_

_ "-poor creature-"_

_ "-freedom lost-"_

_ "-killer!"_

_ "-prisoner!"_

_ "-cold blood-"_

_ "-misunderstood-"_

_ "__**KURAMA**__."_

Her head was beginning to throb at the clashing voices. One group was telling her to run. The other was telling her to stay. Along with their shouts, Sakura could feel an onslaught of her own questions. Who was Kurama anyways? Why should she run away? Who is she supposed to help? What were they talking about? At some point, Sakura began to clutch her head and outwardly groan. She didn't realize what she was doing until she could feel a gloved hand place on top of her head.

Shocked, emerald eyes shot upward to meet a single onyx eye. The other was hidden by a hitai-ate that was pulled down to cover it. The eye was filled with worry and curiosity, belonging to a man with silver hair that stood up in a slightly slanted position. His lower half was covered with a woolen mask, its material stretching down his neck and disappearing into a dark green flask vest that had a long sleeved navy blue shirt underneath, matching his pants. Adorning his hands were black fingerless gloves, and on his feet were black colored sandals. A kunai holster was strapped to the inside of his right thigh, and, because she saw it earlier, clipped to to the back of his right hip was a small pouch - both black.

"Sakura, are you OK?" a voice said from her left.

Turning her head, which caused the man to pull back his hand, Sakura saw Sasuke staring at her intently. His own onyx eyes that were usually hard and cold, were currently softened by worry. Blinking, Sakura took a moment to register her surroundings. She was on the Academy's roof...with her new team. That's right, it was the day after graduation, and she had been assigned her teammates. They were, at the moment, introducing themselves. One of them was Sasuke Uchiha. The other...

Looking to her other side, Sakura met a pair of worried sky blue eyes. They belonged to another boy her age, who had short spiky blonde hair and whisker-like features on his cheeks. He was dressed in a bright orange jumpsuit that had a bit of blue here and there, along with blue sandals.

...Naruto Uzumaki.

_"-unfortunate-"_

_ "-dangerous-"_

_ "-help him!_

_ "-run away!"_

_ "He-"_

_**ENOUGH! **_Sakura yelled in her mind, and just like that, the voices disappeared. Inner Sakura gave a relieved sigh, falling down to lie on the ground, and gave a mock salute. Outer Sakura let out a sigh as well, relieved that everything had finally quieted down in her mind. She then eyed the blonde beside her cautiously. Naruto Uzumaki. This always happened anytime she was near him. The voices would begin to yell, piercing through her shields, screaming for her to either get away or get closer, and because of this, she was careful to avoid the boy. Fate, however, seemed to think otherwise, and put him in her team.

"Sakura?" a deep voice called out.

The named girl turned to meet the gaze of the last team member and leader of Team Seven. A jounin, Kakashi Hatake. He was staring down at her intently. She gave him a tired smile.

"Sorry, sensei," she said, "Migraine..."

He gave an understanding nod, though, the look in his eye said he didn't believe her completely. "I see... Well, we're almost done for the day. You just have to give your introductions, and that will be all."

"Ahh, OK..." she cleared her throat, ignoring the gazes of her newly appointed teammates. "Uhm...what are we supposed to say again, Kakashi-sensei?" She blushed a little, embarrassed that she had easily forgot.

His eye closed, crinkling in a way that gave off the impression that he was smiling. "Your name, hobbies, dislikes, likes, and current dream," he answered.

She nodded. "Well...my name is Sakura Haruno. My hobby is reading and taking long walks. I like to train and talk to my friends-"

_"That's us! That's us!"_ a small breeze shouted, blowing across the roof. Sakura sighed, her concentration on her shields had lessened a little as she thought of what to say.

"-and I dislike it when _people_ annoy me," she stated, emphasizing on 'people'. Both Sasuke and Kakashi raised a brow at this, while Naruto smiled sheepishly, as if guilty.

_"Sorry, hime..." _a chorus of voices said softly.

"My dream...my dream..." she smiled softly, "My dream is to protect those who need it - who deserve it." She thought of Itachi and Sasuke when she said that, remembering that they were unwillingly put to walk a path they did not want.

Kakashi's curiosity was peaked. "...and how would you know who deserves your protection?"

"Easy," Sakura gave a grin. One that said she knew something that he did not, and she did. She knew a lot of things not very many people knew. Then again, there were still many things that she had yet to learn. Like who was Kurama, and why the voices seem to become more aggressive when near Naruto. She took a mental note that she will have to ask Moku-oji-san once she got the chance.

"You just have to listen carefully, sensei."

* * *

That night, after her first team meeting, which ended with Kakashi telling them when to meet tomorrow morning and that they shouldn't eat breakfast, Sakura had a weird dream. At first, it started with her being in complete darkness. Then, there was a bright flash of light. Being blinded, Sakura raised her hands to cover her face, but just as soon as it appeared, the light disappeared, replaced with a heat that licked at Sakura's skin. Curious, she dropped her arms, and felt herself freeze.

She was still in complete darkness, but she wasn't alone.

Sitting on its hunches, a red fox stared at her with burning crimson eyes. The heat Sakura was feeling was coming from the fox in waves. Behind it, nine tails swayed gracefully from left to right, and somewhere in the back of her mind, Sakura questioned if they were as soft as they looked. However, despite the soft graceful looking tails, or the fact that the fox had nine tails to begin with (how weird is that), what had Sakura frozen in her spot was the hatred and killing intent that came off of this animal. Swallowing dryly, Sakura managed to pull out the tiniest bit of courage.

"W-Who are you?" she questioned softly.

The fox grinned.

"_I'm Kurama, Sakura-hime."_

Sakura furrowed her brow. "But you're...an animal...I can only talk to Nature's voices... Like trees, fire, wind, water, flowers, rocks..."

His grin seem to only widen, revealing his very sharp canine teeth.

_"I _am _part of nature, hime._" He suddenly disappeared, red wisps taking its place. Said wisps then shot at Sakura, swirling around her with hot air.

_"When I was sealed away, a part of my chakra was absorbed into earth. Sakura-hime, I am part of nature_," he repeated.

"_And I've been waiting to speak to you. Waiting until you were able to hear _my_ voice."_

* * *

**A/N: Ahh...so, because I don't like writing during the time they were genin, I jump around, because come on...you all know what happened. Anyways, what does Kurama want to talk to Sakura about! Find out in the next chapter, which will also have Zabuza and Haku. By the way, should those two die or live? What happens to them will in fact affect this story, so I will leave the choice to you!  
**

**Updates come every one to two weeks on either Sunday or Monday; depending how busy I am. If later, then its because I am REALLY busy. Or I'm working details out. One of the two.  
**


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